


No Light Without Shadow

by perletwo



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M, Porn Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-02-04
Packaged: 2018-01-11 03:29:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perletwo/pseuds/perletwo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal finds River awake among the stars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Light Without Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> This is post-Serenity, so River is adult and reasonably mentally stable, if you're worried about consent issues.

"What're you doing up here?" Mal Reynolds dragged a hand over his sleep-slack face. Loose pants rode low on his hips, and his feet and upper torso were bare.

"The speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second," said his pilot, River Tam, without turning her head away from the viewing port. She perched on a ledge by the port, one bare leg straight out in front of her, the other dangling down the side. Her short red nightgown rucked up around her thighs.

"What we see as the light of these stars left their source billions of years ago. Whole planets' worth of species were born, evolved, lived and died out before these lights ever reached our eyes. Did you know that?"

"Might've been told it a time or two," Mal allowed, with the slight dip of his chin that always told River the real answer was 'no.' "Couldn't you get to sleep?"

"I like it," she said, still staring at the stars. "Don't you? I like the idea that we're flying through ghost light. It's where we belong, you and I, I think."

Mal nudged her extended leg and she slid it back, lifting her knee until he had enough room to sit. "You think we're ghosts, little one? You 'n' me? 'Cause I'm fair sure I'd remember the day..."

River's head tilted, enough to glance at him and still see the black on her periphery. "Alive. Dead. Who can tell when we can't ever catch up to the light?" She turned back to the port. "Shadows. That's what you and I are. Just echoes."

"River. Are you - okay?" He lifted a hand and after a moment's indecision, awkwardly patted her shin.

"You never knew me before I - got broken," she said. "I don't remember much of her. But I see her, inside Simon's head. How much he misses her."

She glanced down at the hand resting on her shin and gave it a small smile. "Better you didn't know her, maybe. I don't think you'd have liked the River that wasn't broken. Broken River doesn't like her much, always."

Mal gave her leg another clumsy pat. "I'm sure I'd've liked you fine any way, darlin'."

Her head shook once, quickly, stirring her dark curtain of hair. "Arrogant. Spoiled. Certain-sure. That's the worst of it, that for all her brainpower she'd never _question._ "

River shifted position and turned her full attention to Mal. Her eyes fixed upon his face in the searching stare that always went on a moment too long, just enough to give him tingles in uncomfortable places.

"You did," she said softly. "You always questioned. You fought until they had to break you." She put a hand over his. "I can see the man you were then. Inside your head. Proud and strong and never able to just not _push._ River-That-Was would've liked Mal-That-Was. But he'd have shamed her."

"River -" Mal found his mouth had gone dry, and swallowed. "We really should - call it a night..."

She moved so swiftly he was barely aware of it before he found her straddling his lap, his hands resting on her hips. Her forehead was inches from his and he stared into her dark eyes, at the stars reflected there.

"Better this way," she breathed. "Better we're broken now. 'Cause now we've got the starlight to play in. And now we know."

"Know what?" Mal wasn't sure why he whispered the words.

"That we don't know." Her lips brushed over his. "Never certain-sure, not anymore. Better this way."

Her fingers traced the line of his cheekbones, and then her head dipped and she kissed him fully, making heat pool deep in his belly. Mal lifted his hands to her shoulders, fully intending to push her away. But River just giggled and shook her head, raised her hips and slid a hand between their bodies. The heat spiked and surged and made Mal groan, and sharing the sensation her head went back on a deep sigh.

Then she shifted again, wriggled, and sank down into his lap, taking his _yinjing_ deep inside her, and his brain shorted out completely. She lifted up, bent her head to kiss him again, and lowered herself slowly, and despite himself he found his hands sliding up under her gown, stroking her sides. River hummed in pleasure and rubbed her palms over his biceps, moving her hips faster and adding a soft rocking motion that made Mal gasp.

The heat spread through his body, and he clutched at her hips and bucked up with her. Her inner muscles clutched and clung to him, and he let himself go over the fall with her.

River leaned against his shoulders, gasping and panting as if she'd run a marathon. When her heart slowed, she raised her head and grinned at him, a cat with feathers still caught in its lips. She lifted off him, wobbled briefly for balance and smoothed her gown over her thighs.

"Enjoy the ghosts," she said, waving at the stars as she walked away.


End file.
